![]() Type of vehicle: Front-wheel-drive compact sedanĮngine: 111 kW primary electric motor, 55 kW secondary electric motor/generator, 84-hp, 1.4L four-cylinder It can be “more car than electric” - as the GM ad folks say. What the Volt retains is proof that the future doesn’t have to be as boring, underpowered or as alien as we might have anticipated. You’ll almost assuredly never recoup the premium in diminished fuel costs, though, as I’ve said many times, that’s true of virtually all electrified vehicles. More than $41,000 is a lot of money to pay for something that started as a Cruze, even if the Ontario government is offering a $8,230 rebate and Quebec $7,769. That price, however, will be a large impediment to Volt ownership. Other than price, it is the Volt’s biggest sacrifice to EV status. The battery pack occupies the cabin’s centre tunnel, so a bench seat that would accommodate three back-seat passengers is not possible. One interior limitation imposed by the car’s electrical propulsion is the two bucket-type seats in the rear. On the other hand, the Volt’s rear-view camera display is exemplary, Chevrolet even adding a small light in the back so one’s view in the LCD screen is illuminated when backing up at night. That means both more frustration and more distraction for the driver as he or she searches for Blue Collar radio so a favourite Jeff Foxworthy routine might be heard. The XM satellite radio, for instance, has changed its interface and now offers even more submenus to plow through. That said, some of the digitization can be a little overwrought. In the initial battery operation, even full throttle is accompanied by the sound of eerie EV silence. Again, this only occurs after the electric charge is depleted. Also, when maximum acceleration is called for, the little four-banger revs hard enough to be heard. Then, the motor starts with a high idle speed, as if it is trying to warm up as quickly as possible. The exception is when first starting up after the first 60 or 70 km have been driven to deplete the battery. For the most part, the 1.4L Ecotec’s operation is subdued enough that you have to strain to hear it. Throttle response and the powerband remain the same. When the gasoline motor kicks in, it still feels like an EV, simply because the electric motor (or two, since the Volt has primary and secondary electrically powered motors) is still driving the front wheels. The Volt takes a little more than nine seconds to scoot to 100 kilometres an hour and, even if its acceleration tails off dramatically after 140 km/h, it offers all the performance a family sedan needs. From the driver’s standpoint, there’s the initial surge of torque (273 pound-feet at its zenith) common to all electric vehicles and the rheostat-like response to throttle inputs. In battery mode, the silence is eerie, which is the first thing on which first-time passengers (and passersby) comment. The Volt certainly drives like an electric car. ![]() This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
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